—ARIA— Vocaloid Chronicles
by Pastel Paintbrush
Summary: UPDATED DAILY —ARIA— A video-game like world. The Vocaloid's world is turned upside down. Who's the real enemy? Watch as they fight for their lives, and fight for each others hearts. MikuxKaito RinxLen LukaxGakupo IAxGumiya YumaxYukari GumixPiko OliverxNeru TaitoxTei Other pairings soon!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This story throws our favorite Vocaloids into a video-game like world; **

**(MikuxKaito, RinxLen, LukaxGakupo, IAxGumiya)**

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Welcome to Aria.

Aria is a world, beautiful, filled with mysteries.

Think of your favorite RPG. A fantasy world.

That's what Aria is. But even better.

In a place like this, there are several great stories to be told. Romance, war, success, fame— there is a story for each one. But let's take a look at the Vocaloids, shall we? They go across through all of that. They live in a small town, all like family. They're personalities differ so much, from hunters, fighters, to mages and healers.

But they're all a close family. Their lives have always been peaceful, there would be no reason for that to change.

...right?

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ARIA Chapter 1:

Sun burnt colored skies almost blinded Miku. The taunting sun, barely peaking out from the horizon seemed to whisper, _"Time is almost up! Hurry home before they get you…"_

"C'mon… one last mewk bunny to kill and I'll have enough fur to make a coat…" she said, quietly to herself. She was focusing very hard, bow and arrow pulled back, about to release, waiting to pierce one of the mewk bunnies below her. These mewk bunnies were level 9, two levels above Miku, but she'd definitely have a chance at killing one if she was elevated— like she is now.

She waited, glancing back and forth between the frolicking mewk bunnies and the sun slowly fading. Then... a couple of them jump into view at a perfect angle.

"Perfect!" She slowly draws back the arrow a little more, steadying her shot.

"Almost…almost…" she chants to herself. She slowly starts loosening her grip on the arrow tail, and with a perfect release she—

"HYAH!"

The yell connects to a dark blue haired boy, about the same age as Miku, tall with perfect posture. With an utmost effortless swipe of his sword, he kills all three mewk bunnies at once.

"What!? How did he—" the shock from Miku startles her body, and sends her slipping off the tree branch she laid on seconds before. "KYAAAA!"

a shrill cut through the dusk sky.

_I'm going to die…_ Miku's thoughts are blurred together._ I'm really going to die!_

Before she prepares her body to hit the hard ground beneath her, she feels something warm abruptly meet her sides.

"…!?" She opens her eyes, that were clenched from fear, to reveal the boy who killed the mewk bunnies several moments before.

Before Miku could ask how, who, and… why, the blue haired boy spoke.

"Nnngh… geez, are you okay?" He winced in pain.

Miku caught a glance of a claw mark in his shirt, and specks of red contrasting his blue suit on top. "You're…you're hurt! I'm so sorry! I didn't know…" she quickly got up from his grasp and stood on her feet.

She looked at him more carefully, with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay!? When did that…that scratch happen? We need to get you a healer right away…" she observed the bleeding mark on his shoulder. It was much to big to be a mewk bunny, and judging by his appearance, it was probably a very high level monster. Which meant… he was some type of fighter.

Miku has always grown up being told never to approach a fighter but… her something in her gut told her he was different. Either way, he knew Luka had a kind enough heart to heal anyone, and this man obviously needed help.

"NNggh, is there a healer around? P-please, take me to them…"

Miku looked at him, and pitied him, but she hesitated still. The stories of ninjas or knights taking down young teenage hunters like herself scared her…

"If you need help deciding, I'll let you know right now that saving your life made my injury about twice as more painful." He said in a flat tone.

"F-Fine! I'll take you…but only because you saved me. We have to sneak in though, alright?" she said, taking him so that he could lean his left side on her.

"I'm Hatsune Miku by the way, a hunter of Ameko town! I'll just say you're a merchant, 'kay? We look about the same age anyway so I can convince them~" Her tone always had a habit of sliding into a cheerful one too easily, even with strangers.

The blue haired boy nodded. "Thank-you…" he grumbled, in a somewhat dense voice.

"By the way…" He started.

"Yes?" Miku said, trying to be as careful as she could helping him walk.

"Call me Kaito."

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**Hope you enjoyed this first chapter! You'll meet most of the other characters in the next ones! I can't wait to get this story started... thank you for your support!**


	2. Chapter 2

—ARIA— Chapter 2

Kaito, leaning half of his weight on the new strange girl he met, Miku, was slowly getting more impatient, watching the town look so close, but not quite there. "Ah god damn… you said the healer is in the south part of town!? So why the heck are you taking me into the west-end first?" His voice was hoarse, like he hasn't had much to drink in awhile.

"Hey, I told you already! I'm not supposed to talk to people like _you_, let alone help you! I have to sneak in the west entrance. We're almost there, so stop complaining!" Miku's voice already showed signs of being tired, her breathing heavily between every few words.

Kaito took notice of this, and started to feel a bit sorry he rushed her. He, much like Miku's personality, was full of too much pride. So he flicked his head the opposite direction of her, and acted like he was still pricked, mumbling a few words under his breath.

* * *

"We're here!" Miku cheerfully said, glad the long 3 hour journey was over. Her high pitched voice woke the half conscious Kaito up, pulling him into reality.

A beautiful, tall, pink haired girl walked into the room, wondering what the noise was. Her eyes widened as she began to spoke. "Ehhh!? Miku, who is— AH! He's hurt, he's hurt! Set him on the futon in the room, I need to treat it right away!" Miku quickly obeyed orders, glad to set the 16 year old boy down finally. Although they were the same age, Miku could tell that he was a high level fighter of some sort. He was not only tall, but extremely fit…but also a bit too skinny.

Miku watched Luka grab her cloak and a couple of things to help his HP rise. Miku turned back to Kaito, now laying on the futon, wincing every few minutes in pain. "Do...Do you want food, or water…?" she asked, a bit unsure how to help.

"Miku, we can get that later. I need to heal him as fast as I can, okay? Go to bed." Luka's voice was only serious when the situation was important. Miku quickly walked out of the room, catching a small glimpse of Kaito's deep blue hair on the way out.

_He'll be okay…right?_

* * *

Miku woke up a bit late, making her feel completely refreshed. "Ah, what a nice morning to kill some mewk bunnies." A grin flashed her face as she stretched her arms, sore from yesterday.

But, her mind quickly drifted to past events yesterday, as she remembers Kaito, a blue haired boy whom she helped. She remembered him twitching in pain…"Kaito!" like ice water to her face, she jumps up and runs to the patient's room.

Her face bends with worry as she notices the door already open. "…!?" **It shouldn't be like that… She thinks, running all the possible reasons why it was like that through her head.

She walks in, expecting to see him lying on the futon. Instead, it's a dim, empty room. "What's going on…where is—"

In an instant, there is a flash of a blade, the sound of a door pounding shut, locked up, and a heavy hand pressing against her mouth. "mmmf!" she tries to scream, but the hand presses up even harder against her face, so that it's even hard to breath.

She looks down, to see a blade, inches away from her neck. Her eyes widen in horror.

"Don't. Move." A dark, deep, voice, sounded off from behind her.

She was in pain. Not from the hand making it hard for her to breath, not from the attacker holding her wrists much too tight, not even from the blade about to slit her neck.

Miku was in pain, because she knew exactly who that voice was.

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** Ooh, next chapter will be fun to write. Stuff is about to happen, I can't wait to write it! And a bunch of new characters are introduced next chapter. Please write a review/favorite if you enjoyed, it ****really**** motivates me! Thanks for reading~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! Most people wanted longer chapters, so I'll be doing 1 long chapter a day! If you want it even longer/shorter, let me know! Please enjoy this chapter~**

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—ARIA— Chatper 3:

"K-Kaito…_why?_"

Miku's voice was barely audible with his hand smashed across her face, but she knew he heard her. _Why Kaito...why save me if you were just going to kill me anyways? Are you really a thief...?_

Before Miku could think or say anything else, a flash of several black blurs darted past Miku's face, one hitting the sword out of Kaito's hand, the other two hitting Kaito himself. "What the—"

"Let her go you sapphire head!" A rather high-pitched voice yelled out. Miku quickly freed herself before Kaito could regain his stance.

"Rin!" Miku cried, running to her friend. Standing next to them was Len, who tied Kaito up in an instant; literally.

"Wait a second I…wait what? How did you…?" Kaito was confused at the speed Len was able to constrain him.

Len cleared his voice. "Ah, I can bend things. Usually I bend things like force-fields, invisible walls, electricity, but in a case like this, I can even bend time if my enemy looses their composure." Len spoke in a rather gentlemanly tone, and a bit too mannerly towards someone who just attempted murder.

Len picked up the small black knives Rin had thrown. "Milady." He said gently placing the knives in Rin's palm.

"Whatever." Rin rolled her eyes at Len, then diverted them to the tied up blue haired boy. "So, what the hell are you thinking, trying to kill my best friend? You want to die, huh?" She said, in a piercing tone.

"No! You misunderstood completely…you don't understand!" Kaito managed to blurt out all at once.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but the circumstances here make you look quite bad. We might just have to kill you on the spot." Although Len's words were frightening, he held a warm expression matched with a friendly smile.

"N-n-n-n-no! Give me a second, I wasn't trying to kill her…" Kaito responded, now getting nervous. Miku noticed a sweat break on his forehead.

"Then…what were you trying to do…?" Miku asked in a surprisingly quiet, understanding, tone.

Kaito looked down. "I was trying to…cut your hair" At the end of his sentence, Rin burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHA! Really? _Cut_ her hair? That's the best you can do? A filthy warrior like you obviously is trying to—"

"I'm NOT a warrior! Let me explain the story you wrench!" Kaito yelled in distress. Rin started grinding her teeth and clenching her wrists, like she really was going to kill him on the spot. But Len gave her a look telling her to 'calm down.'

"Alright, if you aren't a warrior, what are you? Please do explain." Len said, not even changing from his calm tone.

Kaito took a deep breath. "I'm…I'm an imperial knight. My best friend, who grew up with me…was captured by an opposing nation. His name is Mikuo, and he isn't of royalty, so they were able to easily steal his items and kidnap him. I knew I could figure out where he was if I could just track him, and his hair is strange; bright teal, just like Miku's so I thought if I—"

"You thought that they were related and that a lock of her hair would be sufficient enough for tracking." All eyes turned to Luka, standing in front of the doorway of the room where they all stood.

"Luka…" Miku's voice was scarcely audible.

"You guys thought I wouldn't hear with all this noise? Anyways, he really wasn't trying to kill her. Although his method was extremely idiotic, you guy's shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Luka gave everyone an evil glare.

"Ah, then, I apologize." Len gave a bow and quickly undid the rope around Kaito. Rin mumbled a somewhat half apology and stared at the ground, feeling ashamed.

Kaito directed his eyes at Miku, as if he was silently begging for a lock of her hair. "…K-Kaito, I would love to help you, but I don't have any siblings. You friend's hair matching mine must be a coincidence so…" The sentence hung in the air like laundry being dried.

It was Len who broke the silence. "Ah, well, why don't we all eat breakfast and discuss it then, Luka already made us food." He smiled and walked out, as everyone followed after.

* * *

"So you've traveled all the way from Syncrocity!?" Rin exclaimed, stopping to talk then continuing eating her tuna.

"Yeah…I live in the palace actually…because I'm an imperial knight…" Kaito awkwardly ate his tuna, confused on how someone could go from threatening death on him to making small talk.

Rin wasn't immature…but she was quite like a child in some ways. She was 15, but was only shy of 5 feet tall. She was extremely fast and her precision was gift given.

Miku quietly ate, observing Kaito. _I want to help him…_ she thought. _But how would I even do that? His friend obviously isn't related to me, but he must be pretty desperate to track me down…_

Len caught Miku's attention, giving her a look as if saying "I know what you're thinking."

Len was always good at reading peoples faces. He was also very mature, and gentleman like, for being only 17. Because of an illness when he was younger, he isn't much help at hunting, although he can wield a small sword. He knows a bunch about herbs from Luka though, not to mention his ability to bend invisible magic.

"So…what empire took your friend, Kaito?" Luka said in a cheerful tone. Luka was the most adult like out of all of them, and was almost like a mother too, despite her being just 21.

Kaito hesitated. "West…West Lilia." He said. He looked up to see 3 shocked faces staring back.

"That's where people dissap—" Rin was cut off by a look from Len.

"West Lilia...I see..." Luka said, unsure what to say in response.

Len got up and collected everyone's plates. "Why don't we just go with you then? No matter how strong you are, there's no way you can survive that long of a journey with just strength." He said in a monotone voice.

"Len! Don't kid around like that!" Rin yelled in response. Len turned to the agitated blonde.

"Heh heh, I'm not kidding, my sweet. I can bend a force field when we sleep and collect plants, Miku and you could find food, and Luka is a healer so we would be fine."

"'My sweet'!? What the hell are—"

"That's enough Rin." Luka said. She looked down at the table, thinking over what was just said. She slowly lifts up her head and looks at Kaito. "That actually…sounds like a good idea. Would you care if we joined you?"

"Eh!?" Miku stood up excitedly. "You…you mean it!? Oh my gosh I'm so excited~!" Rin, stayed quiet, catching a glimpse at Kaito smiling a sincere smile.

_His smile isn't…evil I guess._ Rin contemplated. _So…I guess it's fine._

Rin sighed. The only thing left bothering her were memories.

Memories of West Lilia. A terrible place.

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**That's today's chapter! Tomorrow they will start their journey. You'll see a peak into Rin's past as well. Thanks for the faves/reviews, they help me write faster, better, and just overall make me happy!**

**By the way, if people want a certain couple other than the ones listed in the desc, I will put them in if people want it. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! As promised, here's today's chapter! For story reasons, sometimes I'll write in a specific person's POV! To me, it also makes this chapter really interesting. Don't forget to fave/follow/review if you enjoyed~ Enjoy!**

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—ARIA— Chapter 4

_Rin POV._

"Rin…"

I could here Miku talking to me, but I didn't really know (or cared), what she was saying.

It has been a full week since Kaito has stayed at our house. Our house…we were leaving it behind.

If you couldn't tell, none of us were actually related. Middle class towns like this were on the outskirts of vast cities, and vast cities were always near a palace. Palaces equaled war ground in my eyes.

Some of us were orphans, like Luka. Some of us escaped slavery, like myself. I think Miku was abandoned, and I don't really know Len's past. In fact, I don't know about any of our pasts that much. This house was for people like us, with no homes, to stay at. A new beginning. So I guess talking about our past seemed pointless.

"Rin!" Miku stared at her friend, impatient and annoyed.

"Hmmm, what? That's cool Miku!" Rin tried her best to sound sincere, but Miku saw right through her and rolled her eyes.

"I was telling you that today is the last day for getting supplies! We just need some herbs for Luka, but she's too busy putting spells and stuff together. So I was asking you if you could go with Len to pick up some of the stuff for her."

Last day for supplies already!? That means…we leave tomorrow…

"Just make sapphire head go do it. He's the one who got us in this mess anyways." I said in a blunt response.

Kaito, who was busy cleaning his sword, looked up at me, and gave me a stare. "Rin…he's been helping a lot! He even used that big bag of gil to buy you new obsidian darts, and a metal band for Len. He even hand made a new bow! Stop being so gloomy~"

Miku was in a sickenly sweet mood. Probably because of Kaito. Before I could tell Miku to buzz off, Len came into her defense.

"Rin, Kaito never asked us to come along, we just decided too." Len said firmly. I was about to tell him off, saying that I never agreed to go, but…I didn't want to stay behind either. So I held my tongue and just gave a blank stare back.

Len sighed. "Let's just go, alright? I'm the only one who knows what to get besides Luka." He held out his hand, offering to escort me.

I brushed his hand aside.

"Whatever." I reluctantly said.

* * *

"10 strawberry tails, muck plant and…a jar of poppy seeds." Len's voice, in business like but friendly tone, was light like a feather in between all the bustle in town. This was the third stall we've been too. I was particularly in a rush to get back to Miku and her sapphire boyfriend, so I was fine just wandering the market with Len.

Len got the stuff, and we continued roaming the town. He noticed the sour expression on my face. "Rin…why do you dislike Kaito so much?" He inquired.

I turned away, not wanting him to see my distressed face. "It's not _Kaito_ that bothers me…it's just…tomorrow…" my voice trailed off. I didn't really know how to tell Len my problems. I actually didn't know how to tell anyone my problems.

"You mean the journey? We'll be safe Rin. Kaito is a high level swordsmen, not to mention you're amazing, and Luka will be —"

"WEST. LILIA. It's West Lilia Len! I don't want to go there! You know the rumors!" My voice was mixed with frustration and maybe a bit of fear. It was loud enough to make a couple of people turn around at the sound.

Len went silent, maybe a bit stunned by my defensive response. "I see… I understand…" No Len. You don't understand. You have no idea what I've seen there.

"Well, we'll be alright, Rin. We'll be fine." He managed a reassuring smile. It may have calmed me down a bit.

We spent 10 more minutes searching for the last store. I did my best to keep up with his pace, though sometimes he would have to stop so that I could catch up. It's not my fault though! I'm short, and he's 2 years older than me, a guy, and half a foot taller!

Once I caught up, he began to walk again, but at a slower pace. Everytime I looked up, I noticed him staring at me, or stealing a glance.

After the 6th glance, I got impatient. "What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?" I sneered.

He chuckled to himself. "No, my dear Rinny, I was just admiring how beautiful your face looks like in the sunlight."

My face turned from pale white to a deep red at the end of his sentence. "D-Don't tease me!" on impulse, I whacked his back.

Maybe a bit too hard…

"NNgh!" the bag the Len was holding flew out of his hands and into the street. My eyes widened. We just spent a good amount of gil on that stuff!

"The herbs!" I yelled, starting to take off into the street.

"Rin, wait!" Len quickly grabbed my waist, jerking me back so quickly, it hurt my stomach. "Mmmfff!"

Seconds later, a cart with a pixie dragon flew down the street, knocking the bag even farther away into a crevice in an alley. "Rin, what are you doing!? Don't just run out into the streets, you'll get ran over in an instant!" His voice raised a bit. I was surprised…he never talks like this.

"S-Sorry…" I mumbled. We waited for traffic to let us through, and he quickly escorted me across the busy path.

"Now, where did the bag go?" He asked me, is usual tone in place. I looked over to the alley, where I saw a hint of the light yellow cloth shine used for the herbs in the dark vacancy.

"There, in the alley!" I started running ahead of him. I quickly recognized the pouch, and started picking up some of the few herbs that fell out during it's tumble. As I was picking up the last lavender-tongue stalks, a shadow floated over me. "Ah, Len, tell me if you see any other loose herbs…"

Len didn't respond. "…? Len…?" I slowly turned around.

My eyes shot up in shock, as the person standing in front of me was a brown haired man with bright red armor, and a thin black sword.

Stunned, I said nothing. I caught a fleck of something in his eyes…and his face…it slowly cringed into a devilish expression. At that moment, I knew something was up. "LEEEEN!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, til I had no air left.

In an instant, something sharp pinched through my stomach, and I had a coughing fit. I covered my mouth as a I coughed, strungling to breath. When I took my hand away, it was covered with flecks of red. The world fell sideways, and my body went numb.

Before I knew it, my eyes fell out of focus, and the world I was staring at once before,

Became blurry.

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**Another cliffhanger! *gasp* Because I know how it feels to be left at a cliffhanger, if enough people request it, I'll post the second part tomorrow first thing, PLUS another chapter （＾０＾）**

**Please write a review! It would totally make my day! Criticism, questions, or just whatever is fine! I'll be looking forward to write you more chapters~ (if you can't tell already, this story will have a lot of chapters, considering I've been doing one a day!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there! Here is ARIA Chapter 5! I can't believe I've been writing a whole chapter everyday~ I am so happy about all the support I've gotten so far, I mean it! It may not seem like a lot to others, but I am so happy at all the follows/faves/reviews this has received in 2 short days! To me, this is a very sentimental but interesting chapter to me. I think it's my favorite one so far! So, enjoy! **

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—ARIA— Chapter 5

Len POV

"LEEENN!"

I could barely recognize the voice.

Of all my years knowing Rin, she never screamed, or cried, or showed any type of outwardly distress.

Ever.

But I knew it was her, because before I could even think, my body was already running towards the voice. "Rin? Rin! Where are—"

I stopped in my tracks, as the sight answered my own question. I stared at Rin, crumpled on the floor unconscious, as a wet, red liquid drew from her stomach, and flecks on the edges of her mouth to match.

I wanted to throw up, and I started to feel dizzy.

"R-Rin…"

I was so stunned I barely noticed the guy next to Rin, sword drawn out, slicked with blood and a smile across his face. "Found you Rinny~ It's been awhile…" His voice was ragged like the edges of broken glass. It struck me awake from my shock.

"Who the _hell_ are you!? What did you do to—" my voice was cut off by a menacing laugh.

"HAH! There's another boy here too! I should just take both of you guys back to West Lilia and get twice as much..."

"Nmm..." I heard Rin mumble, and twitch slightly in pain.

I broke a sweat. It was too late for me to bend time. I couldn't run through him without him slicing me in half, but I sure as hell couldn't let him take Rin either. My mind quickly made the decision for me.

_Here I go Rin..._ I thought, inhaling deeply. _Just for you..._

"Hyah!" In a split second, I dash towards Rin, running into the enemy's side. He stumbles back slightly, giving me just enough time to reach Rin's side. "Rin! I'm going to get you out, okay? Just hold o—NNGH!"

Before I could lift her, something heavy struck the back of my head. The world started spinning, but I quickly shook my head, trying my hardest not to pass out. I couldn't let him take us.

"You aren't too smart kid, looks like I'll have to just kill you instead." I struggled to get up, but his foot kicked my chest, pinning to the ground.

My mind was bare, and my body was numb. There was nothing I could do. _I'm sorry Rin…_ I watched his blade draw close to my neck, as if it were going in slow motion. _Inching closer…closer…clos—_

"YAAHH!" A yell drew out, and a mix of blades clashing and blood spattering filling my ears. I opened my eyes, expecting the blood spatter to be mine, but instead, it was my attackers.

I quickly got up and shielded my body over Rin, just in case. "What happened…" A white cloak and threads of purple hair came into my view.

"Are you okay?" A man with purple eyes and a concerned expression looked at me. I nodded cordially, still shaken from the event. The man smiled at me.

"I'm Gakupo, an official guardian of the Imperial army." He bowed respectively, then turned to the slumped over mess on the floor. The sight made me almost uneasy, although I was glad the body on the floor was dead rather than trying to kill me. "…That was Meito, he is, or…was a night of West Lilia. I guess he was trying to capture you're friend…" Friend…? Rin!

"Wait! My friend… she was hurt, I have to get her to Luka…" I said, heart rate starting up again. I carefully picked up her body, and just stared at it. I could feel her breathing, but she felt so…cold. I noticed the bleeding stopped but she looked very frail and delicate…nothing like how Rin usually looks.

"Luka? Is she a healer…?" He asked, quizzically.

I hesitated, wondering if I should disclose the information. But, he did save our lives so… "…Yes." I simply said.

"I see…" The purple haired man looked to the side, as if thinking about something, then turned back to me. "Care if I join you? I was searching for a healer. I can help you carry your friend here, it may be easier if I did it instead."

I was about to decline, but…he had a point. There was no reason not to let him meet Luka, and…he was much taller than me and a lot stronger too. I just didn't want anyone to touch Rin…

"I'll be gentle with her, don't worry." He said, as if reading my mind. I reluctantly put Rin's body into his arms. "Ngh…" Rin let out another painful moan.

"We best get going then."

* * *

"Ah, Len, you're late! Why are you so—RIN!" Once she spotted Rin, Luka hurriedly grabbed her from Gakupo's arms not even taking a second to question the stranger's appearance.

I waited, silent, for almost an hour. I felt euneasy. What if she doesn't make it? What would I do without being able to see roll her eyes at me, or blush at my remarks, or smile when she's happy? My mind started running off into places I've never been.

Gakupo just stood there, patiently waiting. Why is he here anyways…? Luka's voice brought all my "Len, hand me ten straw roots and a roll of cotton!" I turned to Gakupo, wondering if I should tell him something, but I quickly shook the thought from my head. There were extremely more important things going on right now.

I grabbed the proper materials from a wooden cabinet, and ran to the room Luka took Rin. I slid open the door so fast, it almost broke from hitting the wall. "Here's the materials." I said. I watched her slowly mix some liquids together, as she cut up the roots and blended them in. Luka then stopped what she was doing and faced me, with her serious expression.

"Len…you don't want to see this."

I said nothing back. I made it clear by my face that I didn't want to leave Rin's side, and Luka picked up on that rather quickly. "Len, no one wants to see their loved ones in pain. So please leave. I'll take care of her, she'll be fine."

She was right. I sighed, "Take care of her, Luka." And left with those words.

* * *

"So…why are you here?" I said to Gakupo, while pouring ginseng tea.

"I have two reasons." He said in response. I felt slight agitation nip at my face.

"That doesn't answer my question." I handed him the cup of tea. "Ah, thank you for the tea. And to answer your question, I am looking for someone, and I need to discuss certain matters with Luka-san as well." He took a sip of the tea and smiled.

"I see." I said, using my most friendly tone. Somehow, he answered my question without actually giving me any information, which annoyed me. But I was too tired to interrogate, and was just merely making small talk as a distraction.

But my mind started to slip into visions of Rin laying in that alley, slumped over coughing up blood. _She must have been so scared…_

"You're friend…is she okay?" He asked. I felt like his concerns with her were fake, but I answered anyway.

"I don't know, but if Luka says she'll be okay, then she'll be okay."

"I see." His response seemed uninterested and monotone. I sat on the cot next to him. "Her name is Rin, by the way. And I'm Len. Thank you for saving us…" I managed to sound as grateful as I could, but he could probably hear the exhaustion from my words.

"Ah, no problem. I needed a reason to kill that Meito anyways, so my thanks goes to you." He paused and took another sip of tea. "So Rin is her name…" The question took me a bit by surprise.

"Ah, yes… Kagamine Rin." Gakupo's eyebrows raised, questioningly.

"But that is also your last name…you guys aren't siblings, right?" I sighed. I didn't really like talking about my past or explaining things, but I didn't loose my composure.

"We all either don't know of our family, or our family is dead. I don't really know what happened to Rin, but she said she never knew what her last name was. At the time, I was sickly and a bit of a crybaby. So I clung to her, I guess you could say. Later, I just decided that I'd give her my last name because we were like family…" I trailed off. A wave of regret swayed through me. _I'd rather have her have my last name a different way…_ My cheeks reddened a bit at the thought.

But… Why the heck was I telling a stranger this stuff? It's quite embarrassing!

Gakupo smiled, but had an expression as if he wanted to ask more. Before he got the chance, Luka walked in. I saw his eyes widen at her appearance.

"Len? Rin is stabilized now, and her HP is replenished. She's resting, and you should get to sleep soon too. We're still going as planned tomorrow, because she'll be almost healed by then." I sighed with relief. _Luka is an amazing healer._

"Sure." As I got ready in my room, I heard in the background Luka arranging a room for Gakupo to sleep in, and as they exchanged proper introduction, I snuck into the room Rin laid in.

_I don't want her to be alone our last night here._

I sat down quietly, careful not to wake her. I stared at her motionless face, and occasionally mumbling in her sleep.

Tomorrow…we were leaving this house. And to be honest, I was nervous.

But staring at her slowly breathing, looking so peaceful, the nerves started to melt, and somehow I knew this journey would be a good thing.

* * *

**Waah! I'm so excited to write the next chapters! They finally start their journey! By the way, if you're worried that I'll only be focusing on Rin and Len, don't worry! I just needed to set up some of their backstory and start their love for certain reasons, because there a lot of their past will play a big part! Next chapter, I will focus on pretty much everyone, but I'll give you lots of information on their past if you're confused! So many mysterious characters~**

**By the way, does anyone play any RPGs? Let me know! As you can tell, this story is like final fantasy or something like that. My favorite RPG is Final Fantasy Chrystal Chronicals~ Anyways, woah, long author notes here. See you tomorrow for the next part of the saga!**

**Feel free to let me know any criticism, questions, or just tell me whatever :P Thank-you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! Wow, I've actually written a chapter a day...this is tiring, but so worth it! Anyways, I decided this chapter will be in Miku's POV. I may just keep switching characters POV for the most part, but what do you guys prefer? Anyways, I worked hard on this chapter; it's the longest one yet! so enjoy~**

* * *

—ARIA— Chapter 6

Miku POV

I was informed of what happened that morning. I went to bed that night, thinking that Len purposely took his sweet time so that he could spend time with Rin…I mean, that's the only reason why I sent them both out.

But now…Rin was almost killed, Len was unable to sleep, and we were sharing breakfast with yet another stranger. I started to feel like reality had slapped me in the face.

The whole week, I was doting about how we were going on a real adventure, with this strange guy who was searching for me because of his childhood friend, and all of my friends were going to come along and…

I was just so happy. And seeing how this was the day were were going to go on the journey, I should be even more happy. But instead, I feel hesitant.

Luka cleared her voice. "Yesterday…I talked with this person, Gakupo." She took a second to direct her eyes at the tall purple haired man. He looked strange…but nice enough. He bowed his head slightly. "It seems that he was the one who saved Rin and Len from a warrior—"

"Why was there a warrior in town!?" I cut Luka's words off. "I don't know…" Luka said, a bit of sadness sounded from her lips.

"A-Anyways," Luka continued, straightening up her posture, trying to regain a mature tone. "He's heading to West Lilia, and has some business to take care of. And seeing how he's a high level Imperial Guardian, I think it would be best if he came along."

I saw Kaito's eye's widen a bit when he heard the words 'Imperial Guardian'. I shot him a quizzical look, but he quickly turned his head away from me in response.

"I see…" Len said to Luka, who sitting across from me. Len was sitting close to Rin, making sure she was ok. Although she was almost fully healed HP wise, the wound itself probably still made her uncomfortable. Rin would usually brush Len aside and tell him she's fine, but for some reason, she was very quiet.

The tension filling the atmosphere was suffocating. That's when Luka finally spoke. "I understand that Gakupo is somehow tied to Kaito, so I'll let you guys speak. Len, is Rin okay to walk?"

Len looked at Rin, who gave a small nod. "Yes, she'll be fine."

Luka smiled at his response. "Then, let's get going! Everything will be alright, we have now twice the strength protecting us, and I still have lots of supplies set." She did her best to reassure everyone, and whether we were really going to be okay or not didn't seem to matter, because everyone started to cheer up a bit.

And that was the last time we were ate breakfast at the house.

* * *

After Luka's speech, we quickly headed out the west gates of town. We did our best to sneak out quietly so that there wouldn't be any suspicions. We wanted to get out of town so that there were no questions asked.

After we left the outskirts, Gakupo and Kaito went ahead of us to discuss something…I wanted to ease drop but Luka kept a steal eye on me. When I looked around, I noticed that the mood…was lighter. Happier.

"Wh-what are you saying!? I'm going to slap you again if you say things like that!" Rin yelled, threatening Len. I giggled, glad to see her regular self back.

Kaito and Gakupo soon came back, with smiles across their faces. I heard Luka quietly ask Gakupo something, but I only managed to hear "Is it okay? And…also did you…" I gave up trying to figure out what she was saying. _I could probably get Kaito to tell me later._

Kaito. He was the whole reason why we were taking this dangerous journey. I didn't mind though… and I learned a lot about him during the 8 days he spent here. We often talked in our free time, and I felt like I could fully trust him.

Although, Kaito is a quiet person, and sometimes even comes across as being cold. He barely speaks.

And that's why it didn't stop me from asking him questions! I'm stubborn, I know. That's why I decided I was going to make him break out of his shell!

"Kaito~" I skipped cheerfully to his side, and smiled as warm as I could. "Talk to me~"

"Hm." He made a simple noise and continued walking as if I hadn't spoke. It wasn't like our friendship was like Rin and Len, where Len would forcefully speak to Rin and Rin would slap him away; it was different.

Rin thinks I'm bothering Kaito, and I guess it seemed like I was. But…when I got him to talk, he seemed happier. I just think that for some reason, he can't socialize well. So I'll do my best to initiate more conversations until he can!

"So, our next stop will be in the middle of no where! I'm excited. I haven't slept anywhere but the house!" I did my best to keep the mood as cheerful as I could.

"…Yeah, I guess…" The silence drew out like a bad note strung on a violin.

_This is going no where…_

To my surprise, he spoke again, breaking the silence with his deep voice. "Camping isn't all roses you know…"

I giggled. Kaito is pretty cute when he tries to be mean!

I spent the next couple of hours making small talk with Kaito. Eventually Luka stepped in to join the conversation, followed by Gakupo. Even Rin and Len commented every now and then on the subject, but they spent most of the time arguing and teasing.

_Being surrounded by people…laughing together…_ I took a deep breath, trying to really enjoy the moment.

_This feeling…is nice._

* * *

"Lets rest here. You girls start the fire, we'll go get some toro branches for the sheets." Gakupo said in a nice, but firm tone.

We nodded and tried getting a fire started. It wasn't too hard to find logs, and Rin was good at doing things like this, so within 10 minutes, we had logs surrounding a nicely lit fire to absorb the heat, and just sat there.

After about half an hour of warming up, I decided that it was too quiet. So I broke the silence.

"I feel kinda bad…they have the hard job of finding and cutting those thick toro trees while we just have a fire…" I said, as we watched the fire dance in the pit.

"I know, but it can't be helped. Toro trees are huge, there's no way we'd be strong enough to cut those things down." Luka replied.

"Why the heck is Len helping then? Even Miku would be more help then that kid…"

"Hey!" I sneered back at Rin. Luka watched our quarrel and laughed, almost falling backwards.

"That _kid_ is 2 years older than you, my dear." Our glances shot behind us, and there stood the origin of the voice; Len holding 3 toro branches, with Gakupo and Kaito not too far behind.

"L-Len!? How you holding that many!" Rin shot up.

"Heheh, Len is stronger than he looks Rin." Gakupo chuckled to himself, holding 4 toro branches effortlessly over his shoulder. "He's just modest, right Kaito?"

Kaito gave a quiet nod, but when I looked closer, the tips of his lips were bent into a slight smile. _So he's capable of happy emotions, eh?_

"Modest!? Hah! He's probably about to collapse!" Rin stuck up her nose, refusing to believe the sight.

"If I collapse, I'll be in your care Rinny~" he winked at Rin who then blushed furiously.

Luka finally took a stand. "Guys, we should really get the tents up! It's going to get dark soon…" The sun's rays were barely visible on the horizon.

" 'Kay~"

* * *

"THERES ONLY 4 TENTS!?" Rin was screaming in rage.

"I already explained to you Rin…we can buy more sheets the next time we visit a town but for now you'll have to share one…" Luka never lost her composure.

I could hear Rin arguing something back, but at this point, I was more concerned with who I was going to sharing a tent with. I would want to share a tent with Luka but she has valuable supplies with her that Gakupo needed to guard, which meant I was going to spend the night with…

"Kaito…?" he turned and gave me direct eye contact.

He had a habit of either not facing the person at all, or staring directly into their eyes when talking. _He really has a lot to learn…_

"Why don't we head to the tent? I think everything is done here…" he shrugged and headed to the tent.

I didn't really think this out clearly enough…but, thoughts suddenly poured into my head.

_Kaito and I…we were going to share a tent._

_We were going to be alone, in a tent._

I gulped, realizing the situation.

_We were going to be alone, the whole night._

* * *

The tension was extremely awkward. We were kinda just... sitting there, in the tent.

Silent.

I decided it was too much to handle. "Kaito...tell me about how you met Mikuo."

He looked at me with an odd expression, but proceeded to talk anyway.

"Well... when I was little, my mother died. My dad was extremely overprotective since then, so I didn't have any friends..." He exhaled uncomfortably, then continued speaking. "One day, I couldn't take it being so lonely...so I ran away. That's when I stumbled across a farm. There was a boy my age, so we played together."

_The boy must have been Mikuo..._ I thought to myself, paying close attention to Kaito's shaky words.

"Eventually, one of the maids found me, scolded me, and took me back. But, I was so happy to have a friend..." He paused again, and averted his eyes. His cheeks turned slightly pink. "This is so childish...why am I telling you this stuff?" he mumbled.

"N-No! It's not childish...it's interesting!" I blurted out without thinking. He looked at me, surprised by my response. This time it was my cheeks that turned pink.

"...So...basically, I kept sneaking out. And we became friends, close friends." His voice got really quiet, and his eyes seemed to be looking somewhere beyond the tent we sat in. "My only friend...now he's dead."

In an instant, I slapped him across the face, leaving a reddish hand mark on his left cheek.

"...!"

"H-How could you just give up on him like that!? He's not dead Kaito, you don't know that for sure!" I yelled at him. I don't know why I was mad, but I was. How could he just say 'he's dead' in such a casual tone!?

"And...he's not your only friend anymore, okay!? You have us now, and were going to help you find him!" My heart rate was running fast, and my breathing was quick.

He just sat there, white faced, eyes wide, mouth open; utterly shocked.

I realized what I had just done. "W-Wait I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

"You're right..." he said.

"Hatsune Miku, you're right." He smiled. It was the first time I saw him truly smile, yet...it looked so bitter. Before I knew it, tears streamed down my face.

"No I shouldn't have been so...I'm...I'm sorry..." I hugged him. To my surprise, he returned my embrace.

After a few tender moments, we pulled away. He stared at me, this time with a very serious expression.

"I'll find him..._we'll_ find him...that's a promise, right?"

I smiled, wiping the tears from my face.

"I promise!"

* * *

**Uwahhh I'm getting all happy! Writing this made me happy, it's so fluffy, I know, but I think we needed some fluffiness from Kaito! Next chapter we will meet some more characters. Well, thanks for reading! **

**Please fave/follow/review if you enjoyed! It makes me work like 5X faster~ Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's today's chapter of ARIA! Let's take a look at our tsun-tsun's mind here! **

**By the way, thank you SO much for all the reviews, follows, and faves! Theres no way I cold be able to write 10,000 words in 3 days without you guys! I appreciate it;**

**This chapter made me laugh while I was editing it. So, I hope it brightens up your day! Enjoy~**

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—ARIA— Chapter 7

Kaito POV

_"I promise!"_

Her voice still rang in my head. Just the thought brought heat to my cheeks. Wait, what the hell? What am I, a maiden in love!? Ever since I met Miku, a low level clumsy hunter with teal hair, I've felt weird. I haven't had any real day-to-day casual conversations except with Mikuo.

But ever since I found Miku, I've been put into a situation where I'm forced to have those type of conversations.

I don't really dislike her or anything, because lately I've felt a lot more positive…it's weird. I don't try to be mean to her, but sometimes she's obnoxious. But other times, like last night…I realize she's not stupid at all. She knew exactly how I felt, and knew exactly how I should deal with it. It's all just so…

Strange.

"Kaito? Your cheek! It's swollen!" Luka pointed out, while walking under the beating sun. Luka woke us up very early so that we could get to the next town and find an inn before it got dark. I noticed she was very motherly… and she was pretty observant too. She reminded me of Gakupo, with her mature attitude.

Her words sent me memories of last night; Memories of Miku slapping me, telling me not to give up. If there was a way to show someone you cared for them by slapping them, Miku definitely found it.

"Yeah…the heat. It's hot." Have I mention I suck at lying?

I could see Miku's complexion run red. We must have been thinking the same thing.

Or maybe it really was the heat.

* * *

"How many more miles….ughhhhh it's too hot Lukaaaa!" That was Rin, a stubborn 15 year old (youngest out of everyone too) who likes to complain. I have to admit, our personalities were the same in the way we were stand-offish, but other than that, I did not like the girl.

She was a blonde brat.

Besides, we've only been walking for like 5 hours! This was nothing compared to what I went through to get here!

"Stop complaining Rin, we'll get there soon~" Miku said cheerfully skipping a good 5 feet ahead of everyone. Does that girl even get tired!?

"The next town is only 10 miles away, we're not too far…" Luka said, ignoring Rin's displeased grunt.

"10 miles!? UGHH!" She threw her hands up in the air, as if to give up.

Len, who was quiet the whole time, spoke in a cool town. "If you're tired Rinny, I can carry you."

"EW! GROSS! Get away perv!" Rin stuck out her tongue and ran a few feet away from him, only to return to his side moments later.

Len was alright I guess. I mean, he was a lot more reasonable than Rin was. Despite his friendly tone and face, he was actually pretty menacing if he wanted to be; like the time when they thought I was going to kill Miku. His face was terrifying! I'm a bit afraid to get on his bad side. Not like I talk much anyways.

A spent few hours thinking to myself. I was sick of thinking about what happened last night; it was already embarrassing enough that it happened! I don't want to relive it.

Then I remembered Gakupo's words…he pulled me aside to talk. I knew he was an Imperial Guard and probably had to warn me to be careful and tag along to ensure me being safe. I was right; he gave the normal talk all the guards did, like "be careful", but 20 times longer.

Until he mentioned something else…

_"You Know…Luka told me something interesting."_ _Gakupo said, looking at me with a serious expression_.

_"What did she tell you?"_

_"She told me that she doesn't know where everyone came from, they just all met up and decided to live together, without discussing their past. It's a rather taboo subject to them…"_

_"So?" _At the time, this information didn't seem of importance. Until his next words…

_"She told me about how you thought Mikuo and Miku were siblings, and how you could use her hair to track him down."_

_"Don't remind me! It was stupid, I know."_

I remembered his expression yesterday, after I said those words… his eyebrows were raised, and his friendly eyes melted into very serious ones.

_"There is a chance…that they could be…"_

Twins.

Twins in West Lilia meant something bad.

It meant they had West Lilian blood. When I found out Miku's age was the same as Mikuo's, I gave up on the face that they could be siblings, because the only way they could be siblings would be that they were at least 10 months apart.

Unless…they had West Lilian blood.

_No, impossible. There's no way Mikuo or Miku had West Lilian blood in them! Mikuo's not like that…_

My mind shook out of the mental flashback.

I barely noticed how dark it was getting because I've been staring at the floor for the last 3 or so hours. That's when I heard Rin yell with high-pitched excitement.

"Yah~hoooo! We're hereee! I'm hungry, let's eat out!" She danced around. I squinted my eyes a bit, and sure enough, a large town was dotted with lights.

"This looks more like a city…" Gakupo said, with awe. I stared in awe too. The city looked beautiful, considering we've been walking on only blank fields of grass the past 2 days.

Miku danced with Rin. "Woo~hoo~!" Her laugh made me smile a bit.

Wait…wh-why am I even thinking of something like that at a time like this!?

I turned to my left to see Len, with a smirk dashed across his face.

Staring right at me.

"….!?" His expression frightened me. Why the hell is he giving me that look!

I quickly avert my eyes. "Ah, that sounds like a good idea Rin. Let's eat." Luka flashed a smile.

Hunger stabbed at my stomach too, and soon enough, I joined everyone's high spirits.

Thoughts of twins, West Lilia, and Mikuo, finally melted off my mind.

* * *

**Short chapter today, I know. But the whole twin and West Lilian blood will play a big part, so I had to introduce you guys to the idea at some point! **

**By the way, I don't know if I'll continue doing a chapter a day. It's just that I feel like not many people care that I write a chapter a day, so if it's not a big deal, I don't think it's worth it. I'll still update as fast as I can though!**

**But, if some of you DO actually like me updating once a day, let me know! I don't want to ruin it for you either, so just review/PM me saying you still want a chapter a day if you like how I've been updating. **

**Thats it; see you next time! Next chapter will be longer~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, more people liked this story than I ever thought! Thank you to everyone, I'm so grateful! Therefore, I'll try to keep up with the chapter a day thing as long as I can! So, here's your chapter for today; I made it extra long! Enjoy~**

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—ARIA— Chapter 8

Luka POV

"Care for some maiberry meat, Megurine-san?" Gakupo with a polite stance handed me a basket filled with sizzled meat. The skin looked so crispy and salted…not to mention I was starving, so it looked even better. But, at the same time, I was disgusted. I declined.

"I'm fine…" He gave me an odd look. Miku, who was busy delicately eating some dragon fish, piped up.

"Bahh, Gakupo, you know nothing! Healers can't eat meat!" she said in a petite voice, quickly going back to her food.

Gakupo's clear face quickly darkened slightly into a pale, pink color. "I apologize Megurine-san…" I smiled and reassuringly let him know it was no big deal.

I didn't want to scare him off, afterall. Kamui Gakupo was a great asset to the group; not only had he saved Rin and Len, but he also knew the grounds to West Lilia well. He was also tall and a high level samurai…but I think only Kaito and I know about the samurai part.

The town we used to live at…had us grow up to believe any type of fighter, besides imperial knights, were to be afraid of. I guess they're right, because they cause all the murders that happen, and things like war, thievery, and crime are closely linked to being a fighter.

But…Gakupo was different. He was cordial, much like Len, but also mature. We were both 21, but for some reason, I felt like I should use special honorifics with him; he just acted so adult like. And he eventually was granted the 'imperial guardian' title, so…

I guess it's fine.

I sipped some blueblock juice, while nibbling on the several pieces of bread and fruit we had ordered at the restaurant. _Everything is going fine…_ I felt reassured and relaxed. Maybe even a bit excited about the adventure too. I looked up from my food to see how everyone else was.

"Ughh I ate too muuuuuch…" Rin groaned, doubled over in her seat.

"You idiot! You're the one who ordered so much food!" Kaito, the 'Imperial Knight' yelled, making Miku and Len hysterically laugh. I giggled too at the scene.

It was nice to see Kaito finally break a bit out of his shell. _Probably because of Miku._ I smiled at the thought. It must be nice to be young and in love…

"Like wind chimes." I looked up to see Gakupo, looking at me while speaking.

"Wind chimes…?" I asked confused. Gakupo let out a small chuckle.

"You're laugh. It's like the sound of wind chimes." He smiled at his words.

I felt a thick heat rise from my cheeks, darkening blush on my face. "You're…you're too kind…" Unsure what to say, I tried my best to ignore his deep garnet eyes staring into mine.

"Kyaaa!" A shriek made me jerk backwards to see where it was coming from.

The scene…was…

"I'm sorry! All I did was give them the wrong drink! It was an accident!" A green haired waitress in a maid costume shrieked, while Rin was swaying back and forth (barely able to keep her balance) and Kaito repeatedly smashing his head on a table.

I quickly ran over to the waitress. "What happened!?"

She bowed deeply, and wiped away a few tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Gakupo stepped in, and used a firm, deep voice; which I didn't even think he was capable of. "What. Happened?" He wasn't exactly rude, but it was serious enough to make the green haired waitress jump up.

"I-I-I-I gave them the wrong d-drink…" She said bowing after her sentence was over.

"It…It had alcohol I'm sorry I didn't know I'm so sorry I apologize! Let me help them into your room!" She blurted all at once.

Gakupo and I gave a sigh of relief, and then exchanged glances.

"Alright. Len, carry Rin. I'll help Kaito walk." Gakupo said, his tone smoothing out a bit. He turned to the frightened maid. "What's your name?"

"G-Gumi…Megpoid Gumi…" she stammered. I pitied her a bit; I don't think Gakupo was mad at her at all! Yet she looked so apologetic about it.

"Um, Gumi-San," I jumped in, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "Why don't you help us gather the extra food we bought? If that's okay."

She nodded and quickly headed off to wrap our food up.

Gakupo gave me a warm smile, which _almost_ made my cheeks flare up again.

"Let's get going, then."

* * *

"Looks like those two passed out…" Len said, tidying up the room.

Finding an inn was easy, considering how many were packed in here. I was beginning to realize that this place was more like a city than a town, with tournament rings around, fairs, even a swordsman school. The city was beautiful, but a bit too much for me to take in all at once.

"Don't attack Rin in her sleep you pervert!" Miku squeaked, then went to sit next to Kaito.

"Pfft, I should be saying the same to you." Len teased.

_My friends are lovely people…aren't they?_ I smiled at the thought.

Gumi, the skittish waitress, walked in, disrupting my thought. "I, uh, have your food!" she placed a neatly packed basket on the doorstep.

She bowed once more, and turned her face towards where Gakupo and I stood. "As an apology, the company would like me to present compensation to you…"

She slowly slid her hand into her pocket.

_SHIIING!_

The screech of metal tore out, cutting the light atmosphere in half.

"…!"

I closed my eyes and flinched on extinct, then opened them to see Gakupo holding his sword just inches from Gumi's neck. She held up her arms, palms facing us, as if to say she was of no harm.

"G-Gakupo! What are you doing! Are you crazy…?" I demanded. Fear licked at my shaky sentence.

He said nothing, and just held a focused expression, fixed on the waitress.

I followed his stare, and began to look at Gumi more carefully.

_Was she… smirking….?_

"Fwaa, looks like we've been found out. Piko, come out." The waitress's' tone was quite different from the nervousness she had before. Her voice didn't waver and held out a single, thick tone.

Gakupo moved his sword even closer as a white haired boy, not much taller than Gumi, walked in. "Luka, stay behind me!" He whispered roughly. I nodded and quickly took a few small steps back.

The white haired boy, Gum called 'Piko', began to speak. "Hmm, Gumi didn't do that good of a job acting this time, did she…?"

Gumi rolled her eyes and stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmmph!"

"What do you guys want!? Why were you trying to smoke us?" Gakupo demanded.

_Smoke us…? What does he mean?_

"Smoke you? My, what do you mean?" Piko cocked his head to one side and smirked, speaking in the most condescending tone I've ever heard.

_His face and voice is so childlike…yet why do I feel afraid?_ My thoughts frightened me a bit, causing me to shake. Gakupo took a quick glance at me, noticing my distress, and pulled me slightly closer to him. "We'll be fine." He whispered quietly.

My tension eased up a bit. For some reason, when Gakupo said we'd be fine, I believed him.

"I smelled nemui powder! You were planning on smoking us with a nemui cherry bomb, weren't you!?" He yelled at Gumi, who looked bored with the conversation.

_Nemui cherry bomb…! Those would've knocked us all out for at least 6 hours…._

Gumi said nothing to Gakupo's accusations and just stared off into a corner in the room. "Don't play with me! Tell me what you were trying to do; I could kill both of you right now!"

I gasped at Gakupo's words; _He wouldn't really kill them…would he?_

"Now now," Piko's tone was quite casual, considering a death threat was just made. "No need to overreact; Gumi, tell them."

Gumi gave a small pout before she began to spoke. "I heard a blonde girl and blue headed man talking about going to West Lilia…" she said, trying not to look at the sword pointed inches away.

"So we were going to make those two pass out by giving them the wrong drinks; that's when I realized you were all in a big group…" She trailed off.

"So we were simply going to come over here, smoke bomb you guys, steal map and supplies then leave. My _apologies_." Piko's words dripped with sarcasm. He then threw his hands up, as if to say 'no harm no foul', but Gakupo clearly thought different. His sword didn't sway an inch.

"Well, too bad! Get out of here before I—"

"Wait!" Gumi jumped up this time. Her confidence seemed to have melted away from before, as her smirk was long gone.

"Since we're here… can we please join you?" Her voice sounded innocent and sincere.

Piko began to protest. "Gumi, what are you—"

"Be quiet Piko! I'm sick of doing things your way…I don't want to threaten and steal things anymore! It's gotten us nowhere…. I just…" she whispered a few more things to the white haired boy, which I couldn't quite hear.

"Sorry, but I'm declining. Now get out!" Gakupo eyebrows furrowed.

This time, Piko jumped in front of Gumi, using his arm to shield her. "Don't hurt her please…and, she's right." He took a deep breath.

"Because of certain circumstances, I can't tell you exactly why, but, I need to get Gumi to West Lilia. It's extremely important! So…"

"So? You tricked us. And we don't need 2 more people to look after."

I saw Piko glance at Gumi, who looked like she was about to cry. I couldn't help but pity her…

"We…we won't be a hindrance! We just want to follow you, because it's illegal to buy a map to West Lilia. Please! We have our own supplies."

Gakupo unsheathed his sword, placing it neatly back into it's black cover. He thought for a few moments, then spoke again. "And what help would you be to us?" He said, with a blank tone.

Gumi smiled, seeing it as him giving them a chance. "We have loads of supplies! And…Piko is an amazing hunter and can protect us too! He may not look like it, but he's strong! He has these daggers that he throws…" _Daggers. Like the ones Rin has…_

Those _were_ quite helpful. If it were up to me, I'd let them accompany us. We needed more supplies anyways. But I don't think my opinion mattered much.

If they were to join us, they had to get Gakupo to let them. And that was that.

Gakupo's face didn't seemed too amazed at what they had to offer. "That's it? Hmm, no good. I decl—"

"Wait! One more thing…" Piko's voice was loud. He looked so…desperate to help Gumi.

He sighed, and looked at Gumi, than back towards us. "Gumi…she has a weird power…"

"Piko! Don't tell them!" she yelled in protest.

Piko's tone grew dark. "I have to, or they won't let us go with them! Don't you want to find _him_?" Gumi quieted down instantly.

Piko turned back to us. "Gumi has the '10 Face Syndrome'." He said blankly.

"What!?" I was so shocked by his words that I couldn't control myself. I slapped my hands over my mouth, embarrassed that I just yelled out like that.

Gakupo gave me a puzzled expression.

"So you're aware of what that is…" Piko continued. "Well, for the sake of your purple-headed friend, I'll explain; Gumi is basically a mass manipulator. She can change her whole identity into a completely new one. She's been able to control it so well, that she's able to make anyone believe anything. She switches through personalities like masks, so to speak." He concluded.

Gakupo looked at me, and whispered, "What do you think?" It was clear he wasn't familiar with the 10 Face Syndrome, and the powers it held.

I've never met someone with it before, but I know how manipulating it can be. It's said that the power is god-given, and there are very few people out there with it.

I nodded. "It's a powerful asset to have…let's give them a chance."

"Yay! Did you hear that Piko!? They're letting us stay!" She tackled Piko down to the floor with a hug.

"Hey!" Gakupo yelled. The two quickly stood up. Realizing the volume of his voice, he game a smile and calmed down his tone to his usual smooth mature one.

"As long as you get along with everyone, and let me tell everyone about your…syndrome, then I'll let you stay. Okay?"

The two quickly nodded. _So cute!_ I thought, giggling a bit.

I thought out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gakupo smile at me. But I wasn't sure.

"Well," I said, happy to have more help. "It's pretty late, why don't we all go to sleep?"

* * *

"WHAT!?" Len, Rin, Miku and Kaito all yelled in a chorus of confusion.

"We…we have 2 more people accompanying us."

The green haired waitress, Gumi stepped in shyly and bowed. I laughed at Piko's entrance, as he confidently strutted in, despite him having such a baby face.

"Rin, Len, Kaito, meet Piko and Gumi."

* * *

**Yay! 2 more characters! (noticed how I referenced Gumi's song '10 faced?' haha xD ) Anyways, I finally was able to put in some stuff for those Gakupo fangirls out there! Next time we will learn more about everyone's pasts and more on West Lilia. Can't wait to write next chapter!**

**BTW, on my profile page, please check out for updates on things! I will let you know what stories I'm currently planning/writing and stuff; also, there is a poll where you can vote on the couple you're excited to see!**

**As always, feel free to review/fave/follow if you liked~ It means a lot to me! Thank-you for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I couldn't update yesterday; as an apology, this one is long and filled with lots of RinxLen goodies~ Enjoy! **

* * *

—ARIA— Chapter 9

Rin POV

"Aww, don't looks so grumpy, you're making me feel bad…" A white haired boy whined at my right ear.

We were heading out of the city today. But, Yesterday morning, Luka decided to tell us that we had two new people accompanying us! What. The. Hell.

Gumi was one of them; she was our waitress a couple nights ago, when we first entered the city. There was something odd about her, but she was nice enough. I think Luka and Gakupo know more than what they're saying, because they simply said; "They asked to come and we agreed."

Yeah right.

And it gets worse; there's _this_ guy.

Piko. Gumi's friend. I've known the guy for two days. I thought he was the quiet type, like Kaito or something, but it turns out, his personality is _very_ different when it comes to the opposite sex.

"Rin, smile more, you're so cute~" I think I found someone more pushy than Len.

"Shove it old man."

Piko put on his signature smirk. "You're just upset because I was getting comfy with Miku first, hmm~?" He leaned his shoulder, slightly suffocating me with him pushing me.

"Ah, please don't freely touch a lady like that, Piko." Len said, using his gentlemanly tone.

"Nah, I'm good." Piko said with a strait face, taking my hand in his and pulling me closer.

"P-Piko!" He took me by surprise and I stumbled into him a bit.

I looked up to see Len's face, looked a bit flustered. He quickly turned his head the other way and continued walking with Luka. _He…he doesn't get the wrong idea about us, right…? _I thought, worriedly.

I shook my head of the thought.

_I-Idiot. Why should I care? Maybe I want to be close to someone other than Len…_

* * *

Piko and Gumi somehow had 'connections' to get a bunch of things we need. (another suspicious thing about them, but hey, supplies is supplies.)

Because of them, we were also able to navigate out of the vast city quicker before afternoon hit.

So now we're walking. Again.

Except, the scenery…isn't so bad this time. It wasn't just random fields of grass and the occasional woods; there were flowers, even some low-level monsters roaming about. It was kind of…cute.

The atmosphere was nice, everyone was talking normally together, Piko finally started bothering Luka instead of me, and the weather was beautiful today. The bad feeling about the trip that sat in my stomach for the past couple of weeks…might have disappeared. Maybe.

"Waah! Rin! The flowers are so pretty!" Miku ran up to me, holding a bundle of fresh looking plants.

I looked at them carefully. Bright red ones caught my eye instantly. _They really are pretty…_ It felt stupid to be happy about flowers, but I would be lying if I said they didn't make me feel good looking at them.

"Ooh, this dark purple would look nice in your hair!" Miku said, as she tied in two pale pink ones in her twin tails. I preferred the red ones, but I didn't complain.

She picked out a deep, violet looking flower. It was dainty, but somehow the color made it look masculine. Miku carefully put my hair into a side ponytail, and braided in the flower. "There! Rin looks so cute~ Huh, Len~?" she smirked, pushing my body much to close to him than it needed to be.

"M-Miku, what are you—"

"Len! Len! Tell Rin she looks pretty!" Miku squeeled.

My cheeks reddened, waiting for his response.

"She looks nice." He said with a smile.

_That's…that's it…? _My heart sank. _Why do I feel a bit…unsatisfied with that response?_

I squirmed out of Miku's grip, who was left awe stricken by his response. "What!? Len, you suck when it comes to girls! What are you even…"

I tuned out her voice. _I don't care anyways…_

Even so… my chest hurt a bit.

The beating sun started to waver, and the sky had a very slight orange tint to it. It was about dusk, and everyone was starting to get tired. Even Piko stopped flirting with the girls, and kept to himself. Gumi looked cheerful, which was strange because she was standoffish before. And before that she was shy…it's like she didn't have a consistent personality.

Not like I was one to speak. One second I didn't want people around me, the other second I want attention…since when was I a needy brat? I hate this so much…

Gakupo, who was leading us through the greenery of the woods, stopped in his tracks. We all stopped too, confused.

Luka was the first one to speak. "Gakupo, what's the matter?"

He was silent. _Was he…focusing on something…?_

Luka mentioned that he was a samurai, which meant his senses were pretty keen, but…

"There's something wrong…"

A string of fear ran up my spine, and I instinctively looked at Len. His eyes were opened wide, stood frozen in mid-step. "Gakupo…I think…" he whispered so quiet, I could barely hear him.

I don't think I've ever seen Len so scared. Yet I didn't even know what was going on!

"I know Len…" Gakupo whispered back, in the same careful fashion.

"Did it spot us…?" Len said.

A sweat broke from my forehead. Now I was really scared. I turned around and shot Miku a confused glance. She simply shrugged. She had the same worried face I had.

I looked at Gumi and Piko, who simply just shook their heads. _Looks like only Gakupo and Len know what's going on…_

I swallowed and began to spoke as quietly as I could. "L-Luka…" I stammered. "What's going on…?

"There's…someone…watching us…" Luka didn't turn to face me, but I could still hear her reply.

_Someone…? That's the best Luka could describe? What is that supposed —_

A certain realization hit me. Fear flooded me completely now, and I shivered slightly. _We're near the border country…which is not far from West Lilia…_

Which meant… _reapers_.

I…was a slave in West Lilia. For some reason, there were a lot of slaves there. I don't know why. I remembered that I was born on a farm, not too far from West Lilia. Everything was fine, until I was about 3…I don't remember much. I just remember flicks of fire burning me, someone dragging me into a wagon, and me being a maid for some snooty family until I finally escaped.

I found out later that the people who took me were 'reapers'. When I was about 5, they used to talk about being short on slaves to work at, and that 'The Lilian Code' was substantial. To this day, I'm still confused about what they meant. But, all I know is that reapers are deadly, horrible beings.

Like the day when the man in red armor attacked Len and me; I'm _positive_ he was a reaper searching for escaped slaves. And now…

"Everyone!" Gakupo whispered in an abrupt manner, cutting off my thoughts. "Listen very carefully, we're all going to run on three. We'll meet at the end of the stream, outside the woods. Got it?"

He didn't risk making a sound by turning around, and just assumed we were all paying attention. "Alright, one…"

I felt my eyes begin to water. _This…this can't be happening…_

"Two…"

I held my breath. The anticipation was killing me. Waiting…waiting…

"THREE!"

Gakupo's voice was like a gun in a horse race; we all ran in different directions.

"GET THEM IMMEDIATELY!" an unknown women's voice cut through the dusky sky.

I began to panic, but I kept on running. I didn't even know where I was going; everything looked the same. Different blurs of green, brown, and trees.

I couldn't even tell if I was going in the opposite direction! It didn't matter though, as long as I wasn't caught, I could catch up to everyone later.

"Nngh…" A branch snagged on my black silky coat. I didn't even stop to undo it, I just ran with no hesitation, letting the sounds of ripping fabric fill my ears.

_Faster… faster…_

I heard several pairs of feet pounding from behind me, mixing with sounds of twigs breaking and panting.

, but they caused my legs to move even faster.

_Please let it be Len…or Miku…or Kaito or Piko or anyone! Just don't let those footsteps be—_

"KYAAA!" I heard my own voice ring out before toppling over.

Wet grass stained my eyes, causing them to close shut. My back hit the edge of a fallen branch, which made me feel disoriented.

"FOUND ONE!" A young man's voice rang out.

My eyes, still stinging, shot up in panic. I got up groggily to run away, but I stumbled down a second time.

_No…no, I can't be…I….I can't…._

Not even my own thoughts were together.

"SHE"S ON THE FLOOR!" Another wave of panic hit me

_I…I can do this…_

For a second time, I slowly got up, clinging on a tree for support.

I don't know where I was…it was dark now, the forest was dense and hard to see, and I could only hear terrifying voices, water gently running, and—

_Wait… we're supposed to meet at a stream!_

A bit of hope dropped into me, giving me just enough energy to run towards the sound.

"Eh? Where is she!?" Several voices said angrily.

_I don't think they know where I've headed…_ I thought, feeling a bit relieved.

I kept running on my aching leg, which was throbbing with pain. But it was worth it…

I could see tips of light seethe in from a distance.

I ran even faster with joy.

"Luka! Miku…!"

I could see Gakupo's purple hair shine as the forest gave away, and I ran out of the thick greenery.

Miku's teal hair sparkled not too far away from Luka's dazzling pink hair.

"Rin! We found you! You…"

Luka's voice was muffled, but I heard her call my name.

_I'm going to make it! I really am!_ Tears of joy flowed, dashing my cheeks in great quanity.

"Hey! You need to…!"

This time, Miku's voice screamed out.

I ran a bit faster, curious to what they were saying. They were on top of a hill, not to far away. _If I get a bit closer, I'll be able to hear better…_

"Rin…!" I recognized his voice in an instant.

_Len_

I've never been so happy to hear his voice in my life. I waved to him as I continued running.

But, he didn't smile back.

"Rin! You…! Theres…!" I could tell instantly from his voice something was wrong.

"What! I can't hear you!" I yelled back. I felt a knot form in my stomach.

"Rin…! Watch….!"

I did my best to read his lips.

_Watch…_

_...out…?_

"…!?" Something heavy ran into my side.

"HYAAAAAAH!"

My body was airbound, and the world spun as I watched my eyes float in and out of darkness.

"Rin!" I heard Len call out.

But my hearing faded in and out, and I felt like everything was happening in an instant.

All the sounds…

All the feelings…

All the pain…

All at once.

I went unconscious, making me unable to see anything but darkness.

_THUD_.

I heard something fall. Hard.

_Was that my body…?_

I couldn't tell.

"Get her in the cart! Ignore the others, they're too far away!" A shrill sounded a couple of feet behind me. Whoever's voice that was…I could tell just by her voice, she was a terrible, terrible person.

A reaper.

Soon, even my hearing starting blanking in and out, and my thoughts were jumbled…

Slowly…

Falling…

Apart.

The last sound picked up from my ears was the slamming of wooden doors.

Everything was dark.

I couldn't even hear Len yelling for me anymore.

My mind…it started to feel fuzzy…

But before it went blank, I remembered Len's calm, reassuring voice, and a memory that tasted warm.

_"Len…what are you looking at!? Do I have something on my face?"_

_"No, my dear Rinny, I was just admiring how beautiful your face looks like in the sunlight."_

"Len…"

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_**AUTHORS NOTE: Flash back refers to chapter**__**4.**_

**Anyways, this chapter is another huge cliffhanger~ **

**Not to mention we've covered a lot about Rin. (Poor Rin-chan, I'm always beating her up, aren't I? )**

**Thank you for reading! Review/follow/fave if you enjoyed!**


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